[bek-it] 
| 1. | a short length of rope for securing spars, coils of rope, etc., having an eye at one end and a thick knot or a toggle at the other, which is passed through the eye. |
| 2. | a grommet of rope, as one used as a handle or oarlock. |
| 3. | a grommet or eye on a block to which the standing end of a fall can be secured. |
| 4. | a wooden cleat or hook secured to the shrouds of a sailing vessel to hold tacks and sheets not in use. |
[bek-it] | Saint Thomas à, 1118?–70, archbishop of Canterbury: murdered because of his opposition to Henry II's policies toward the church. |
| beck·et (běk'ĭt) n. Nautical A device, such as a looped rope, hook and eye, strap, or grommet, used to hold or fasten loose ropes, spars, or oars in position. [Origin unknown.] |
| Beck·et (běk'ĭt) English Roman Catholic martyr. Chancellor to Henry II after 1154, he was appointed archbishop of Canterbury (1162) and fell into disfavor with the king. Charged with misappropriating crown funds (1164), Becket fled the country. Upon his return (1170) he was embroiled in the controversy surrounding Henry's appointment of his son as archbishop of York and was murdered by four knights in Canterbury Cathedral. He was canonized in 1173. |